Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift

Got to see Rascal Flatts in concert last week and it was AMAZING!! I went with Deborah and we had second row center seats. They put on a great show. Taylor Swift was the opening act and she was fabulous too. This is really the only concert I go to anymore, but I always look forward to it. It's also nice to be with Deborah and just spend time together. She is growing up and moving on and this is a great thing we enjoy doing. It's hard to believe that she will be a junior this year in high school. She turns 16 in August. How did I ever get old enough to have a 16 year old daughter? Where has the time gone? It is fun to do things with her sometimes and have great conversations. She thinks I am crazy as I stand and scream for Rascal Flatts, but she never knew me in my Osmond concert days. I am mild compared to that. I still lost my voice the next day, but, it was worth it. So much fun and a great time to let the worries of the world slip away for a couple of hours and enjoy real talent. I know a lot of you don't like Rascal Flatts, but I love the uniqueness of the voice of the lead singer, Gary LeVox. It amazes me and I enjoy listening to him sing. And Taylor Swift...talk about talent. She wrote hit songs when she was only in 9th grade. Wow!! That is talent.

Igor left yesterday

The house is always different when our exchange student goes home. Everyone misses Igor so much and we cried a lot when we said goodbye at the airport. He didn't start packing until Wednesday night but he seemed to have the least stuff to take back from any of our exchange students. He just needed one more small bag besides the one he brought with him. Time just went by so quickly. Ian and Kenneth miss him the most. They loved to mess around and do things with Igor. They would play video games, wrestle, play basketball, go swimming and go on bike rides all the time. I keep thinking Igor is still here and have been looking for him.

Deborah started Youth Conference at church yesterday too. She doesn't seem to be having a very good time. They come home between activities so I have seen her a lot. I wish I would be able to help her understand how great she is and that she can have a lot of friends. She is still insecure in a lot of ways, but is so mature for her age too. She feels more comfortable directing people on what to do instead of participating in the activities. That is a lot like me. But, I love her so much and she is a great girl. She has so much potential. I worry about her every moment of everyday. I pray that the morals I have taught her will remain strong and her desire to make the right choices for her future.

Krissy was visiting

Ken's sister, Krissy was here to visit for a few days from North Carolina and it was fun to see her. She's a great person and the kids love Aunt Krissy. Last 4th of July, we went to see them in North Carolina and had a great time. The kids played at a nearby lake and were fishing with Uncle David. They also got to go tubing from the back of the boat. That was so funny to watch them. Some fell off. Some got water in their faces and couldn't stop laughing. Ken tried too and he fell over. I missed seeing that. In the evening, we had a great barbecue and David got fireworks. We sat outside in their driveway for hours while David was shooting them off with his friend. He let the boys try to set some off too. They loved that. I wish they lived closer to us so we could see them more. The kids enjoy them a lot.

But, we did have fun while she was here. We went to Ken's Mom's house for dinner last night and we played this game called "Catch Phrase." We had a blast. The kids knew a lot of the answers but I smoked everyone and got the most right. I never win so it was nice to actually win for a change :) Seeing everyone is so nice. Even though we live close, we don't see each other as often as I wish we could. I love sitting around talking with Ken's Mom and Dad, Krissy, Barry, Kraig, Amanda and of course Ken.


That is what I miss the most about my parents. We all loved just sitting around the table talking and laughing. There are some really fond memories of us all sitting around the table on a Saturday afternoon when the older siblings would come to visit with their kids. We would laugh and talk for hours. Those days are gone and I hope that our dinner table time will be something my kids will always cherish. I hope I am making good memories for them to hold onto as they get older. I can't believe how fast time goes by and how quickly the children grow. I miss the baby days a lot and want to go back to those times some days; especially when they are talking back or fighting.
Look at those cute little faces...I miss that sometimes. They are all so wonderful and adorable still but I do miss the days when they were so little. This is on Ian's 1st birthday so Kenneth was 3 and Deborah was 6. Seems like such a long time ago.

School is almost over

The kids will be home for the summer. We are trying to find a lot of things to do and keep busy. Kenneth and Deborah will be volunteering at the Institute of Texan Cultures in their youth program. This is Deborah's 5th year and Kenneth's 1st year. They work in an area of the museum that has a mini pioneer village and Kenneth will dress in costume of the period. They act as tour guides and explain things to the visitors. Deborah will be a supervisor and be in charge of all the tour guides.

All of the kids have different camps too this year. Deborah goes to Young Women's Camp next week, Kenneth goes to Boy Scout Camp the end of June and Ian goes to Cub Scout day camp in July. They like these activities and it should be a lot of fun for them. It will keep them from being bored and picking on each other.

I plan on trying to take it easy a little bit and enjoy this summer. It may be my last summer off since I will be graduating in May of next year from College. That is something I still can't believe. I have to work hard the last two semesters, but I am looking forward to it. The exchange students are all going home and I will be done with AYUSA at the end of June. It will be hard to not have the exchange students around anymore, but I know it's the right thing to do. This student in the picture with Ian is Kanar. She is from Iraq and has really been great to Ian. He has learned a lot from her and loves to spend time with her. She will be missed and we will always worry about her.

Ken will be busy with work and he may take a few business trips too. Other than that, there is nothing going on here. Will post more interesting things next time.